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Thomas Keneally's bestselling book was made into a movie of awesome power and emotional impact. Oskar Schindler was a Catholic war profiteer during World War II. He initially prospered because he went along with the Nazi regime and did not challenge it. But Schindler ultimately saved the lives of more than 1,000 Polish Jews by giving them jobs in his factory, which turned out crockery for the German army. Schindler lost his wealth, but gained salvation for many lives and the descendants that would spring from those lives.Like Raging Bull and Rumblefish, this film is shot in black and white which accentuates the impact whenever there is the odd colour scene as in the end with the girl in the red coat after liberation of the prisoners. Despite the movie's considerable length, it is never slow or dull. It is hard to believe that Hollywood, which so often churns out mindless drivel aimed at making money, could produce something so important and powerful as this film.

Much credit is due to the three main actors -- Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ben Kingsley as his Jewish accountant (and, on occasion, Schindler's conscience), and Ralph Fiennes as the frightening Nazi commandant. The film won seven Oscars, but its best accomplishment may be reminding us that we must never forget what happened.

Even though Steven Spielberg had made some of the most successful -- and profitable -- films in movie history (E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Jaws, the Indiana Jones series), he was always perceived as a master craftsman but never as a "serious" director capable of making a grown-up film. This is an odd perception, considering that in addition to such crowd-pleasers as Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. (along with the plethora of projects he has been involved with as executive producer -- Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the Back to the Future trilogy), Spielberg had directed such serious fare as 1985's The Color Purple and 1987's Empire of the Sun, which deal with such weighty topics as race and the effect of war on children.One film, released in late 1993 -- the same year that Jurassic Park set worldwide box office records -- changed that perception forever: Schindler's List.Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German philanderer, member of the Nazi Party, and war profiteer whose desire to make money from Hitler's European war slowly but irrevocably morphed into a desire to save over a thousand of his Jewish labor force from the Nazis' genocidal "Final Solution," Schindler's List is a powerfully moving film. It not only never flinches from the inhumanity of Hitler's willing executioners -- there are all sorts of terrible things going on in here, including torture, manhunts, mass executions, and random acts of cruelty -- but it also touches on the central belief felt by Spielberg himself that decency and righteousness can triumph over even the most implacable tyranny and hatred.Read more ›

WWII and The Holocaust were events of mind bending statistics and proportions. Tens of thousands dead in single bombing raids, 20+ million Soviets dead, 15+ million Chinese dead, 6+ million Poles dead, 7+ million Germans dead, 11 million the victim of Nazi genocide – it just beggars belief. The European and Pacific theatres were so dreadful, so massive, that it’s impossible for one to fully process it emotionally.

Schindler’s List is one of the finest cinematic depictions of those dark years; a sweeping, brutal film that brings a remarkable story to the attention of millions of viewers. However, as with all historical films, it does not serve as the definitive source of information.

The film follows Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a Sudeten German businessman who reaped the benefits of slave labour during WWII. With his imposing presence and magnetism, he charms his way through Nazi circles, soon operating an enamelware factory in Kraków, Poland using Jewish labour. At this point Schindler appears largely indifferent to the persecution all around him, or rather he avoids confronting the ugly truth of the Nazi’s approaching final solution.

He eventually becomes acquainted with perhaps the most memorable character of the film Amon Göth, the callously evil commandant of the Płaszów concentration camp who is performed excellently by Ralph Fiennes. Göth was an incredibly violent man, the extent of his crimes were such that his sentencing was phrased as following: ‘Amon Göth himself killed, maimed and tortured a substantial, albeit unidentified, number of people.’ Göth’s violence isn’t sugarcoated in the film, he shoots dozens of defenceless people and never shows even a modicum of remorse, so fanatical is his hatred for them.Read more ›

Important note - this review is of the boxed set contents for this limited edition release of Schindler's List and not for the film itself, which is an absolutely essential buy.The boxed set really adds nothing to the standard release of Schindler's List on DVD, which is beautifully packaged and has some interesting extras. On top of this standard release you also get:Soundtrack of the CD - John Williams' excellent score is strong enough to be listened to aside from the film but can be found separately and doesn't justify the additional cost.A book containing stills from the movie - whilst the book is beautifully produced and the stills are evocative, the question has to be - what is the point? The images within the book mean far more as part of the movie itself. A more sensible approach would surely have been to produce a book containing real documentary evidence of the Holocaust.A "limited edition" stenotype of a scene from the film - one of Universal's favourite extras in their limited edition DVD releases. Everybody gets the same film still, and the number on the back of mine was 188843, which suggests the limited edition isn't particularly limited. This sort of thing only has any value if it is genuinely scarce.A "certificate of authenticity" - somewhat tackily containing a quote from Roger Ebert about the film, moderate quality printing on thin paper. Very cheap indeed.It's a shame that a film as important as Schindler's List receives the same treatment from Universal's marketing department as usual and this boxed set is definitely not worth the extra money that you'll pay over the price of the standard release which, ironically, does show genuine effort having been made to match the product to the quality of the film within.